LEXINGTON - North Oconee running back Brandon Whitlock summed up the holes his line blew through Oglethorpe County with just three words.

"It was pretty," Whitlock said after the Titans opened Region 8-AA play with an emphatic win on the road.

North Oconee erased a first-quarter deficit to blow past Oglethorpe County 34-16 on Friday at Patriot Field. Whitlock ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns as the penalty-plagued Titans improved to 2-0 for the season and 1-0 in region play.

"The holes looked really good," Whitlock said. "When we go over the plays over and over again, that's what the holes are supposed to look like and we're doing what we do best."

North Oconee blew holes through the Patriots almost from the opening snap. The Titans ran for 268 yards and 10 first downs. Marcus Alford added 42 yards and Lane Thompson had a 92-yard kickoff return.

"They dominated us up front," first-year Oglethorpe County coach Larry Milligan said. "You just can't get stronger physically in three or four months.

"They lined up and they beat us in just about every aspect of the game. It's either going to make or break us. We're either going to become a better football team and learn something or else it's going to break us."

North Oconee quarterback Kevin Lowring connected for some effective yards against the Patriots, completing 7 of 9 passes for 72 yards. Tight end Jesse Webb caught three of those passes for 44 yards and a six-yard touchdown.

"Brandon's a good back," North Oconee coach Terry Tuley said. "He's going to be one of those unsung backs. He's got speed. He's got durability. He took some shots tonight, but he ran hard all night."

As a complement to North Oconee's running, the Titans also stymied Oglethorpe County (1-1, 0-1) on the ground. North Oconee held the Patriots to 48 rushing yards, including minus-4 in the first half.

Oglethorpe County quarterback A.J. Perlotte led the Patriots with 36 rushes on 11 carries. Perlotte also threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Deandre Stewart, who also had a 1-yard touchdown run.

"We wanted to hit them in the mouth right away and make them want to stop playing from the first whistle, North Oconee linebacker Victor Pallotta said. "They came out here with a lot of spirit, and we wanted to get on top of them early, so they couldn't use us as a stepping stone."

Although North Oconee dominated the rushing game, it repeatedly stubbed its toes with penalties. The Titans rolled up 20 penalties for 162 yards, including six on the lineup of the punting team, Tuley said.

"There was some stuff there tonight that was in the flow of the game and all," Tuley said. "But our biggest problem is our mouth. If we have to put some people on the bench and sew their mouth together, we're going to find a way. We're going to stop that.